1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns an identification device arranged to be fastened on an animal, e.g. a pig, and comprising a carrier made of a relatively soft material and a capsule carried by the carrier and made of a relatively hard material, the capsule having an inner cavity formed to contain signal means arranged to cooperate wirelessly with a sensing equipment situated at a distance from the animal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A previously known identification device of this kind, shown in FIG. 6 of EP-A1 0219 186, comprises a two-piece hard capsule, in which signal means can be placed, and a soft carrier arranged to enclose the capsule. The shown carrier is formed such that two parts of it are to be connected with each other after the signal means has been placed within the capsule and the capsule has been placed in a particular space that is formed between the carrier parts when put together.
The previously known identification device has a construction that is disadvantageous in severals respects. Thus, the carrier has a relatively complicated shape due to the fact that two parts thereof are later to be connected with each other. Further, so that the carrier shall be able to resist safely those forces to which it may be subjected when fastened on an animal, e.g. forces caused by biting of other animals, it is necessary that the connection of the different carrier parts be performed in a qualified manner. Both of these circumstances make the previously known identification device expensive to manufacture. If, as is proposed in EP-A1 0219 186, the two carrier parts are heat sealed together, it will then be impossible in practice to exchange the encased signal means if required.
One object of the present invention is to provide a construction for an identification device of the initially defined kind, which enables a very cheap production of such identification devices and which makes the identification devices very resistant to the forces to which they may be subjected when used.
Another object of the invention is that a construction improved in this manner should enable a substantially complete finishing of the capsule as well as the carrier before the signal means is placed in the capsule, the finalizing production moment, i.e. arrangement of the signal means in the capsule, being performable in a simple and cheap manner and the final product, in spite of this, being able to resist the forces to which it may be subjected when used.
A further object of the invention is that an improved construction of the identification device should enable exchange of the signal means relatively easily if required.